Travel news and Press Releases

As Vivir De Viaje Travel Magazine is receiving every day more visitors to its web site from English speaking countries in the Caribbean plus Canada, United States, Europe, Africa, Asia and the Pacific region, we decided to open a space where the non Spanish speaking reader will find some news and press releases that could be of their interest.Vivir De Viaje is mainly a Spanish speaking travel magazine written for the Latin American and Latin US travel agents and frequent travelers. Most of the content in our magazine will be found in Spanish, but eventually we will try to become totally bilingual for the best interest of our global readers.

We upload our contents in a Newspaper format instead of the more common blog style as we think our readers need to get fast to the overall information, avoiding the many "clicks" and subpages so common in these days.

April 2016

Alaska Airlines merges ​with Virgin America

Alaska Air Group, Inc., parent company of Alaska Airlines, and Virgin America, Inc. announced on April 4th that their boards of directors have unanimously approved a definitive merger agreement, under which Alaska Air Group will acquire Virgin America for $57.00 per share in cash. Including existing Virgin America indebtedness and capitalized aircraft operating leases, the aggregate transaction value is approximately $4.0 billion. With an expanded West Coast presence, a larger customer base, and an enhanced platform for growth, Alaska Airlines will be positioned to provide more choices for customers, increase competition and deliver attractive returns to investors.

The combination expands Alaska Airlines' existing footprint in California, bolsters its platform for growth and strengthens the company as a competitor to the four largest U.S. airlines.

The combined airline will also offer more frequent connections to international airline partners departing Seattle, San Francisco and Los Angeles. In addition, this transaction will open up growth opportunities in important East Coast business markets by increasing Alaska Airlines' access to slot-controlled airports like Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and the two primary New York City-area airports, John F. Kennedy International Airport and LaGuardia Airport.

Brad Van Dommelen movesto Virginia Beach´s CVB

After 10 years at the helm of Traverse City Tourism, former President/CEO Brad Van Dommelen has departed for a new job as director of the Virginia Beach Convention and Visitors Bureau, with a staff of 107 employees, a $20 million annual budget, three visitor information centers and a 525,000 square-foot convention center.​Van Dommelen arrived at Traverse City Tourism in 2005 after serving as senior vice president at the Detroit Metro Convention and Visitors Bureau. Under his direction, Traverse City Tourism was named Best CVB in Michigan by Michigan Meetings & Events Magazine six out of the last seven years. In 2015 he was named the “CVB Star of the Year” by the Michigan Lodging and Tourism Association in 2015, and is credited for leading a statewide campaign in 2010 to raise the assessment local CVBs could collect to fund their marketing efforts.

January - March 2016

​SpeedVegas will exhibit at International Pow Wow (IPW) at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, June 19 through 22, where the company will participate in the Media Marketplace on Monday, June 20. This will be the first time they will be exhibiting at IPW since its opening.

SpeedVegas is Las Vegas' new, award-winning 100-acre motorsports complex. The 1.5-mile supercar track will open to the public in April 2016.

For the summer 2016, the entire $30 million motorsports complex—including a multilevel welcome center, event center with a capacity of up to 1,000 guests, café and much more—will be complete. The 100-acre supercar driving experience broke ground in September 2015.

"After years of planning, it's thrilling to finally be telling the world about SpeedVegas," says Allison Raskansky, executive vice president of business development.

​Washington, U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) announced on March 15, 2016 the anticipated establishment of the Electronic Visa Update System (EVUS), a new platform under development designed to enhance border security in accordance with the bilateral arrangement with China to issue 10-year validity tourist and business visas.Beginning in November 2016, nationals of the People’s Republic of China holding 10-year visas B1/B2, B1 and B2 visas will be required to complete an online form to update certain biographic information. Travelers will need to have a valid EVUS enrollment prior to traveling to the United States. An EVUS enrollment is valid for two years or until the traveler obtains a new passport, whichever comes first.

“More than 2.7 million nationals of the People’s Republic of China are part of the 10-year visa program, a milestone in diplomatic relations between the United States and China,” said Commissioner R. Gil Kerlikowske. “The Electronic Visa Update System will enable CBP to enhance the security of the program while facilitating legitimate travel.”A nominal fee will be charged at the time of the EVUS enrollment and subsequent updates. This update will generally be valid for two years and will help to facilitate entry into the United States.

October - November 2015

Aeromexico presented new flight simulator for Boeing 787

Mexico City, November 12th, 2015. Aeromexico in partnership with Lockheed Martin Commercial Flight Training (LMCFT), presented its new Boeing 787 flight simulator at the Aeromexico Training facility. ​This device will allow Aeromexico’s pilots to train under highly realistic operating conditions. With the arrival of the new simulator, Aeromexico can optimize scheduling and control of the pilot training process, in addition to streamlining the availability and productivity of their employees. The new device has been qualified by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGAC) to Level D, the highest recognition that a simulator receives from the authority in terms of aviation safety and operability.

The simulator is equipped with more than 30 different specific visual scenes, including Mexico City International Airport, London and Paris. The modern simulator offers the crews advanced technologies including real aircraft panels and a 200-degree field of view visual system. The Rockwell Collins EP8000 image generator with Eyevis projectors offer panoramic views and detailed airport scenes. The visual system combined with a state-of-the-art Instructor Operating Station and an industry leading electro-pneumatic motion system allows simulated flight scenarios in many different weather conditions.

Alaska Airlines flying to Costa Rica

​LOS ANGELES — Alaska Airlines inaugurated on November 2, the new service between Los Angeles International Airport and Costa Rica's two major international airports, further strengthening the airline’s southern California focus city. ​The eight weekly flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to San Jose (SJO) and Liberia/Guanacaste (LIR), Costa Rica, started Saturday and Sunday respectively, and is the first international destination Alaska has launched since 1991, when the Seattle-based airline introduced seasonal service to Magadan, Russia.

"As the most popular Central American tourist destination for U.S. travelers, Costa Rica is one of the best places in the Western Hemisphere for adventure tourism," said John Kirby, Alaska Airlines' vice president of capacity planning. "With the addition of Costa Rica, Alaska offers up to 80 peak season weekly departures from Southern California to Latin America, more than any other airline.”

Liberia is the gateway to the Guanacaste region in the western part of the country, renowned for surfing and sport fishing. While the capital city of San Jose, located about 130 miles from Liberia, boasts museums and historic Spanish colonial architecture. ​Since 2010, Alaska has entered 90 new markets, including 26 new cities. By the end of 2015, Alaska will have added 21 new markets, which includes 10 new cities.

CityPass joins national US ​vacations campaign

You might think Americans are great vacationers, but the stats show otherwise. The number of vacation days the average American takes has dropped by four days just since we entered the 21st century.

Your vacation days are valuable and they may disappear at the end of the year, so you may as well use them to have a little more fun. You could go take a road trip, find a cheap flight, or explore the city you live in like a tourist. It’s not only fun, it’s good for you.

CityPASS found all the stats and benefits to taking your vacation days and put it into a fun infographic. For benefits to your health, take your vacations to go on vacations, not to run errands or go to the doctor – though that’s important too.​​Vacations are great for getting rid of stress, and that alone has more health benefits than you might think.

$50 million for NY State Tourism

ALBANY, NY (November 18, 2015) – Governor Andrew M. Cuomo hosted the third New York State Tourism Summit in Albany, where local and international tourism leaders met with State officials to explore new industry opportunities. At the summit, a commitment of $50 million was unveiled to promote statewide tourism, create jobs, and attract more visitors to every region of New York. This investment, which is one of the largest ever by the State, builds upon the historic investments in the tourism industry which generated a $100.1 billion economic impact in 2014.

"Tourism is vital to New York's economy – it creates jobs and opportunity in virtually every community across the state," said Governor Cuomo.When people visit New York, they fall in love with all that our state has to offer and keep coming back. I am proud that our administration is continuing to play a leading role in supporting tourism across the state, and I look forward to seeing the industry and our economy thrive for years to come."

The third New York State Tourism Summit brought hundreds of tourism experts to the Capitol to discuss innovative ideas and new ways to encourage travel to all 11 vacations regions of the State.

Last year, New York's tourism industry generated direct spending of $62.5 billion, producing $7.8 billion in state and local taxes. The number of visitors to New York increased by 8.2 million with nearly 227 million visitors in 2014. ​As New York's fourth largest employment sector, one out of every 12 jobs in New York is tourism-related. Data from 2014 show the tourism industry supported 867,900 jobs and generated more than $31 billion in wages.

Cruising news from New Orleans

​New Orleans Steamboat Company and Gray Line Tours have announced the construction of a new Mississippi riverboat for New Orleans. The new 600-passenger boat will complement the Steamboat Natchez, offering harbor cruises, dinner cruises and private charters beginning in 2017.

New Orleans Steamboat Company's announcement follows Viking River Cruise's commitment to launch two new luxury riverboats on the Mississippi River in New Orleans in 2017, making New Orleans Viking's first homeport in North America.

Cruising from New Orleans has become increasingly popular, and the industry is experiencing a boom: American Cruise Lines added a second riverboat to its river cruise offerings from New Orleans in April 2015, and Carnival Cruise Lines will expand its capacity in New Orleans by replacing the Carnival Triumph with the Carnival Elation in April 2016.

Aeromexico will fly to Santo Domingo

Mexico City, November 3, 2015. Aeromexico announced new nonstop service with four weekly flights from Mexico City to Santo Domingo starting in March 2016, becoming Santo Domingo the carrier’s 16th destination to serve in Latin America.

The new service will be operated with Embraer 190 aircraft with 99 passenger seats, including 12 in Clase Premier (Aeromexico’s Business Class). ​Aeromexico’s EVP of Revenue Management Anko van der Werff said, “We are excited to add to Santo Domingo to our international route network, as the most visited tourist destination in the Caribbean, and because trade volume growth has averaged more than 8% between both countries over the last few years.

New airline flying from New Orleans

New Orleans-based Glo will begin nonstop service to three cities in November.Glo's public charter flights, operated by Corporate Flight Management Inc., will offer two nonstop flights from Louis Armstrong New Orleans International to Shreveport; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Memphis, Tennessee on weekdays. It will offer one flight between New Orleans and the three cities on Saturday and Sunday.

Glo, said in a news release that the airline was created because existing air travel options in the Gulf and Mid-South regions are incredibly limited.The airline will operate 30-passenger Saab 340B aircraft on Glo's new routes

August - September 2015

Air Canada offers free stopover at YYZ

​23 SEP 2015: Air Canada customers travelling between the US and Europe or Asia via the airline's Toronto Pearson global hub will have an opportunity to pause their journey in the city for up to one week with no stopover fee.This special offer, developed with the support of Tourism Toronto, is designed to encourage US originating international customers to take advantage of their connection to experience Canada's largest and most vibrant city.

"As Air Canada's global hub, Toronto Pearson is quickly growing in popularity as the most efficient connecting point for US originating travellers to Europe or Asia. But in addition to being extremely convenient for transiting international travelers, Toronto makes an ideal city getaway and for those who have the time, as there is a tremendous amount to see and do in one of the world's most multicultural and vibrant cities said Ben Smith, president, Passenger Airlines, at Air Canada. ​Source: Air Canada

Visit Phoenix launches new Trail Guide

Visit Phoenix has published a new edition of its Phoenix Trail Guide to help Phoenix visitors and locals make informed decisions during the next eight months of hiking bliss.The free, pocket-sized guide provides basic information about more than 140 trails managed by the City of Phoenix, Maricopa County and the City of Scottsdale.Among the new guide’s contents include local trail recommendations, information on guided hiking tours, trails that are open to dogs, horses and/or mountain bikes, and suggestions for hiking in other parts of Arizona.The trail guide is available to guests at more than 30 hotels and resorts in the Phoenix area, and a digital version can be downloaded at visitphoenix.com.Visitors to downtown Phoenix can pick up a free trail guide at Visit Phoenix’s official Visitor Information Center—open Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., at 125 N. 2nd St.—or from one of the orange-shirted Downtown Phoenix Ambassadors who serve as sidewalk concierges seven days a week.Source: Visit Phoenix

Awarded honey from O'Hare airport

CHICAGO, September 21, 2015 - For a growing social enterprise in Chicago and one of the world's largest airports, victory has never tasted so sweet!In August,Sweet Beginnings, LLC won an Illinois State Fair Blue Ribbon "First Premium" award for its honeycomb produced at O'Hare International Airport after the judges at the fair were impressed by the O'Hare honeycomb's high quality and cleanliness.The grounds at O'Hare are ideal for pollinators like bees - full of flowering plants that make great honey. In fact, some studies have shown that urban areas may produce higher quality honey than rural areas where crops are more likely to be fertilized.

For more than four years, Sweet Beginnings has maintained beehives at O'Hare. With over two million bees, the apiary at O'Hare is the largest at any airport in the world and was the first major on-airport apiary in the U.S.The initiative was made possible through a job training partnership with the City of Chicago's Department of Family Support Services, the North Lawndale Employment Network and the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA). ​The apiary provides valuable job experience to men and women each year who otherwise might struggle to secure a job due to lack of work experience and a criminal background. Sweet Beginnings' apiaries employ 30-40 people.The O'Hare Apiary features 75 beehives that produce over 2,500 pounds of Certified Naturally Grown honey per year. The honey is processed and distributed as part of the Sweet Beginnings Beelove™ product label.

Chicago will have a big NYE Party

CHICAGO (September 17, 2015) – Chicago will ring in 2016 like never before with Chi-Town Rising, an epic New Year's Eve celebration Presented by Corona Extra and Hosted by Hyatt Gold Passport. The mega-event is designed to put Chicago at the top of the list of winter holiday destinations, and showcase the city as a world-class venue for celebrating New Year's Eve.Chicago will ring in 2016 with a televised festival, featuring headliner musical acts on multiple stages, a dazzling countdown to 2016 at Hyatt Regency Chicago, and a magnificent fireworks show.Chi-Town Rising, which is privately funded and is being produced by Arena Partners, has the support of Choose Chicago and the Illinois Office of Tourism

The heart of the celebration is the Chicago River between Michigan Avenue and Columbus Drive, anchored by multiple stages of musical entertainment on the north and south sides of the river, and To ring in the New Year, a midnight countdown featuring a giant Chicago star will ascend 36 stories up the West Tower of Hyatt Regency Chicago, and an unprecedented fireworks show will provide a dazzling climax for the evening's entertainment.

As Chicago embraces all seasons, this celebration is aimed at not only showcasing Chicago as a destination for New Year's Eve, but as a winter travel destination

"In 2014, Chicago welcomed 50.2 million visitors catapulting the city to one of only three U.S. cities to welcome more than 50 million visitors," said Don Welsh, president and CEO, Choose Chicago. Source: Choose Chicago

July 2015

New Orleans prepares for its 11th COOLinary Restaurant Month

NEW ORLEANS—July 14, 2015—The New Orleans Convention & Visitors Bureau (CVB) has announced the line-up of world-class restaurants for its eleventh annual COOLinary New Orleans Restaurant Month, offering special two- and three-course lunch menus for $20 or less and three-course dinner menus for $39 or less, available August 1-31, 2015. New to the program this year are brunch menus offering three-course meals for $39 or less.

The event highlights the renowned and authentic cuisine of New Orleans and its culinary community. COOLinary New Orleans, along with New Orleans CVB's Be a Tourist in Your Own Hometown campaign, has become a staple calendar event for locals and visitors alike for a decade.

"New Orleans is consistently recognized for its culinary excellence, and COOLinary New Orleans invites both locals and visitors to sample world-class cuisine at some of the most historic and prestigious restaurants in the city. With menus representative of our unique food culture, COOLinary allows locals and visitors to get a true taste of the city," said Kim Priez, Senior Vice President of Tourism for the New Orleans CVB.In December 2014, Thrillist.com named New Orleans the number one US City for Food, and Travel + Leisure readers picked the city one of “America’s Best Cities for Food Snobs.”

For participant restaurants check: www.COOLinaryNewOrleans.com

Volaris with eyes in Central America

The low cost airline Volaris is expanding presence in Central America by turning Costa Rica into their second destination in that region with a flight from Guadalajara to San Jose, Costa Rica and a flight between Cancun and San Jose, both starting September 10 in a Thursday and Sunday basis.Volaris is already flying to Guatemala City since June 18, connecting that country through Guadalajara and Cancun to the widest route network servicing from Mexico to the US.

The carrier has transported nearly 50 million passengers since it started operating in 2006, and this number continues on the rise as a result of more than 240 daily flights operated to 61 leading destinations, including 38 in Mexico and 23 internationally.

Aeromexico's new flight to Cozumel

Photo credit: Aeromexico/Cozumel Tourism Department

Mexico City, July 14, 2015. – Aeromexico, announced the beginning of its new daily afternoon service between Mexico City to Cozumel on October 1st, with Embraer 145 jets, with 50 passenger seats.

“The 700 weekly seats available on this route, will have a positive impact on arrivals because travelers will now have direct access to this popular tourist spot in Cozumel, thanks to Aeromexico’s extensive connectivity to and from 80 national and international destinations,” said Anko van der Werff, Chief Revenue Officer at Aeromexico.

New York State's tourism grows

ALBANY, NY (July 6, 2015) Governor Andrew M. Cuomo announced that the total economic impact of New York State's tourism industry in 2014 reached an all-time high of $100.1 billion. Historic investments in the tourism industry have generated job growth and an increase in visitors to New York, making it the most visited state by overseas travelers for the 14th year in a row. The Governor also highlighted the 2015 summer ad campaign featuring vacation destinations and attractions from all regions of the state.‎

"A stronger tourism industry in New York means more jobs and more economic activity in local communities. That's why growing this critically important industry has been a top priority of this administration – an effort that, as this new data demonstrates, has been effective," Governor Cuomo said.

June 2015

The new New York is here

NYC & Company CEO Fred Dixon

On June 2 during the IPW international marketplace, NYC & Company, the City's marketing and tourism organization, highlighted the "new" New York City and shared details of significant new New York City openings and developments that are transforming the City's tourism landscape.

At a press conference at Orlando's Orange County Convention Center, NYC & Company president and CEO Fred Dixon and Senior Vice President of Global Communications Chris Heywood were accompanied by representatives of the One World Observatory, which was unveiled last week in Lower Manhattan (May 29); the Whitney Museum of American Art, opened on May 1 in Manhattan's Meatpacking District; and the New York Wheel and Empire Outlets, debuting 2016-17 in St. George, Staten Island.

In addition, NYC & Company announced its first-ever bilingual family tourism campaign starring Dora as the City's newest Official NYC Family Ambassador. In 2014, the City welcomed an estimated 17.2 million family visitors, a 3 percent increase from the year before and in the past five years, family visitation to New York City has increased by 30.3 percent.

Star Lines increases their services

Starline Tours, the oldest and largest tour operator in Los Angeles and the local operator of the CitySightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off tour, has increased bus service this summer to handle increasing demand from U.S. and International visitors to Los Angeles, while adding handy technology to determine the exact arrival time of buses at stops.

Until mid-October, the downtown Los Angeles route (the Purple route) increases frequency to run every hour, and service on most routes is also extended one additional hour. This allows visitors to stay in iconic neighborhoods while days are longer during summer, and the new Purple Route schedule shortens the waiting time for buses in the downtown area.

Last year Starline introduced the direct Hop-On Hop-Off LAX Hotel-Hollywood Shuttle which allowed passengers staying in LAX hotels and visitors with late departing flights to spend more time on the Hop-on Hop-off in the LA/Hollywood area, and then take a direct bus back from Hollywood nightly at 7:00 p.m. The new Express Shuttle service is proving so popular that Starline has added a direct morning bus service, departing LAX hotels at 8:30 a.m. The Express Bus service is included in the 24, 48 or 72-hour tickets priced from $44 adult, $25 youth 3-11 purchased directly from the driver, or in advance online for a savings, $39 adult and $22 youth.

The narrated commentary on the Hop-On Hop-Off service has been updated for Summer 2015, making the 100-mile route of the CitySightseeing Hop-On Hop-Off tour the most up-to-date tour in Los Angeles. It is available in English and eight other languages; Spanish, French, Portuguese, Korean, German, Mandarin Chinese, Japanese and Italian.

IPW breaking records

More than 6,500 delegates from 73 countries, including over 1,300 international and domestic travel buyers and 500 media from the U.S. and abroad, attended the U.S. Travel Association's 47th annual IPW, the travel industry's premier international marketplace that promotes the USA as a tourism destination.

The event, the largest single generator of travel to the U.S., convened in Orlando, Florida at the Orange County Convention Center from May 30-June 3, where nearly 100,000 pre-scheduled business meetings—a record for IPW—took place between travel buyers and U.S. travel organizations.

Travel initiated by IPW is projected to bring 8.8 million international visitors to the United States, $28 billion in total spending, and $4.7 billion in direct bookings to U.S. destinations over the next three years, according to the independent firm Rockport Analytics.

"IPW is an extraordinarily unique event, which brings the entire international travel and tourism marketplace to the U.S. in one location," said U.S. Travel Association President and CEO Roger Dow. Travel professionals from every corner of the country, including representatives of hotels, destinations, attractions, museums, amusement parks and other travel businesses.

Harry Potter's new attraction soon to open in Los Angeles

Image: Universal Studios

The countdown to “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™” began on June 2nd, as Universal Studios HollywoodSM announces the Spring 2016 arrival of the West Coast’s most anticipated entertainment experience and the introduction of the land’s signature attraction, “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” in hyper-realistic 3D-HD.

More than five years in the making, and inspired by J. K. Rowling’s compelling stories and characters and the Warner Bros. films, “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” at Universal Studios Hollywood will bring guests the same authenticity and storytelling found at Universal Orlando Resort and Universal Studios Japan and is expected to attract Harry Potter fans and visitors from all over the globe for decades to come.

Visitors will be swept into a fully immersive themed land that brings the Harry Potter fiction and films to life with impeccable detail and precision. “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter” will be faithful to the visual landscape of the fiction and films, including Hogwarts castle which will serve as its iconic focal point.

Universal announces construction of tropical water park in Orlando

29 MAY 2015: Universal Orlando Resort is building a water park on Volcano Bay at Universal Orlando Resort expected to open in 2017.

The tropical islands inspired park, will join Universal Studios Florida and Universal's Islands of Adventure at the Orlando theme park.

Two cruise members found dead in Bahamas

02 JUN 2015, In separate cases two cruise ship members were found dead in Bahamas’s waters in the first days of JuneBahamian authorities are investigating these incidents to determine the exact cause of death of a male crew member that was found dead May 31 aboard a cruise ship anchored at Castaway Cay, a private island for Disney Cruise Line and of a female crew member that was found dead aboard a Carnival Cruise vessel in June 1.

Napa Valley grows in visitors numbers

Image: Visit Napa Valley

June 16, 2015 -- Napa, California – International visitors to Napa Valley increased 88% in 2014 compared to 2012, when the last visitor profile was conducted.

During 2014 Napa Valley welcomed 3.3 million visitors, 13.6 percent of which (448,000) were from international origin, a huge increase compared to 2012’s 238,140 international visitors.

The overall numbers were also very positive comparing the 2.94 million total visitors in 2012 to last year’s 3.3 million result.

Dora becomes NY city's new ambassador

NYC & Company, New York City's official marketing, tourism and partnership organization, together with Nickelodeon, announced famous Dora as the seventh Official NYC Family Ambassador.

The announcement was made in Orlando, Florida on June 2 during IPW international marketplace, where NYC & Company's president and CEO Fred Dixon was joined by Dora. As part of the yearlong campaign, the world's most beloved explorer, Dora, will encourage family travel to the City's five boroughs by highlighting New York City as a family-friendly destination.

For the first time ever, NYC & Company's family ambassador program will include English and Spanish content that features activities and destinations in the five boroughs for families to enjoy. For bilingual, kid-friendly NYC travel materials, guides and itineraries: visitnycgo.com/family.

"When it comes to family-friendly destinations, New York City leads the way with its robust offering of parks, attractions, cultural organizations, hotels and restaurants that lend themselves to a memorable family vacation," said Fred Dixon, president and CEO of NYC & Company. "We are thrilled to enlist the help of the adventurous Dora to welcome even more family travelers with our first-ever bilingual campaign."

Great news from Los Angeles

The city of Los Angeles announced on June 2, in a press conference held during the days of the IPW 2015 trade show, a number of projects that are currently underway and that will expand L.A.’s public transportation network, making it easier for visitors to get across the city, car-free.

City authorities exposed some of this projects and, together with Universal Studios executives, also informed of 3 new attractions that surely will increase the number of visitors to the region.Opening early 2016, Metro’s Expo Line will extend light rail service to Santa Monica, with seven new stations serving popular destinations in the Westside. Riders will be able to travel from Downtown to Santa Monica in 46 minutes. Also, construction continues for the extension of Metro’s Purple Line, which will provide a high-capacity, high-speed option for those traveling to and from destinations such as Beverly Hills, Century City and Westwood.

In 2015 Universal Studios Hollywood introduces dynamic new thrill rides and themed immersive lands like the recently opened “Springfield,” adjacent to the popular “The Simpsons Ride,” which captures the spirit of the hometown of America’s favorite animated family; and the upcoming “Fast & Furious – Supercharged” thrill ride as the grand finale to the world-famous Studio Tour. But maybe the biggest announcement was the countdown to “The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™” as Universal Studios HollywoodSM announced the Spring 2016 arrival of the West Coast’s most anticipated entertainment experience and the introduction of the land’s signature attraction, “Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey” in hyper-realistic 3D-HD.

Dallas to host Global Summit in 2016

The Dallas Convention & Visitors Bureau (Dallas CVB) announced recently at the close of the 2015 WTTC Global Summit in Madrid, that Dallas, Texas, will host the World Travel & Tourism Council (2016 WTTC) Global Summit in April 2016.

“The WTTC Global Summit is the most influential travel and tourism event of the year, bringing together hundreds of leaders from public sector organizations and private sector companies to tackle the most important issues in our industry,” said David Scowsill, president and CEO of the WTTC. “Travel and tourism are some of the most important generators of jobs and wealth in the world, contributing more than $7.6 trillion in GDP to the world economy and supporting 277 million jobs, which is one in 11 jobs on the planet.”Dallas is only the third U.S. city to host the Global Summit in the event's 15-year history, beating out Lisbon and Bangkok, Thailand, for the 2016 event. Washington, D.C., and Las Vegas are the only other U.S. cities to host the summit.

GoT visual editor dies during lion attack

02 JUN 2015, South AfricaKatherine Chappel, a 29 years old American and visual effects editor for HBO’s Game of Thrones, died after a lioness seriously injured her neck minutes after she opened her car window in order to take closer pictures of the lioness.The South African tour guide that accompanied her also resulted injured but survived to the attack that occurred in a safari park in South Africa, near Johannesburg.

Witnesses at Gauteng Lion Park said the lion approached the passenger side and walked and bit the woman through the open window. The park administration declared that they put signage up everywhere informing people to keep their windows closed.

May 2015

Costa Rica bound with Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines will chart new territory this fall when it adds new service between Los Angeles and Costa Rica's two major international airports, further strengthening its southern California focus city.

The eight weekly flights from Los Angeles to San Jose (SJO) and Liberia/Guanacaste (LIR), Costa Rica, are scheduled to begin Oct. 31 and Nov. 1 respectively, and are in addition to new daily service the carrier will add on Sept. 9 between Los Angeles and Baltimore.

Liberia is the gateway to the Guanacaste region in the western part of the country, renowned for surfing and sport fishing. While the capital city of San Jose, located about 130 miles from Liberia, boasts museums and historic Spanish colonial architecture. Source: Alaska Airlines

Amtrak on tour across USA

On Saturday, May 9, 2015, Amtrak and partners officially kicked-off Amtrak Train Days at Chicago Union Station. This was the first of many Amtrak Train Days celebrations taking place in dozens of locations across the county this spring, summer and fall. The free event was held at Union Station and it featured the Amtrak Exhibit Train, a self-guided, interactive tour to learn about Amtrak's history, its operations and the future of America's Railroad®.

Amtrak is inviting communities from across USA to join in the celebration of passenger train travel by hosting their own Amtrak Train Day events during 2015. Amtrak Train Days 2015 Sweepstakes is running from May 9–November 30. One Grand Prize winner will win a trip for four people courtesy of Amtrak Vacations, one Chuggington Prize Pack, a $500 Nook Gift Card and a Walthers Model Train Set. Winners will be chosen on December 1, 2015.To register an event, find additional tour stops or for more information about Amtrak Train Days, visit AmtrakTrainDays.com

American connects Dallas with Beijing

Dallas/Fort Worth, May 7 – American Airlines launched a daily nonstop service between Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) and Beijing Capital International Airport (PEK), marking the airline’s 11th route between the U.S. and Asia and the only daily nonstop flight connecting DFW and Beijing.

"The launch of today’s flight is a significant milestone for American as we continue to grow our presence in the important Asia-Pacific region,” said Doug Parker, chairman and CEO of American Airlines. With this new service to Beijing, American now offers nonstop service from Dallas/Fort Worth to five key business markets in Asia – Beijing, Hong Kong, Seoul, Shanghai and Tokyo.

New terminal for IAH airport

Houston, May 11, 2015 United Airlines, in partnership with Houston Mayor Annise Parker and the Houston Airport System, broke the ground on the airline's new Terminal C North concourse at George Bush Intercontinental Airport.The $244 million project will create a 265,000-square-foot facility, more than 100,000 square feet larger than the existing Terminal C North, with 11 passenger boarding gates to accommodate a mix of United's narrow-, mid- and wide-body aircraft.

When construction on the new concourse is completed, the Houston Airport System will demolish the existing Terminal C North facility at Bush Intercontinental to enable the reconstruction of the Mickey Leland International Terminal D. The international terminal is critical to Bush Intercontinental's extensive connecting air traffic, particularly for those customers connecting between United flights and flights operated by United's international airline partners.United expects to complete the new Terminal C North concourse in early 2017.Source: United Airlines

New Orleans breaking records

May 2015, New Orleans. The city of New Orleans welcomed 9.52 million visitors in 2014 who spent a record-breaking $6.81 billion, according to a University of New Orleans Hospitality Research Center Study commissioned by the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC). The spending is the highest in the city's history. Source: New Orleans CVB

Delta and Aeromexico increased liasson

Atlanta and Mexico City, May 8th 2015 - Aeromexico and Delta Air Lines have filed an application with the Mexican Comision Federal de Competencia Economica (Federal Economic Competition Commission) for a Joint Cooperation Agreement on flights between the United States and Mexico.Subject to the required economic competition authority’s approvals, the airlines expect to offer an expanded network, enhancing routes and schedules, concurrently increasing opportunities to co-locate and invest in airport facilities by improving gates, lounges and the overall connecting experience. Additionally the airlines will increase joint sales and marketing initiatives in order to benefit consumers.This application marks a significant step in the process to further deepen the commercial relationship that both airlines have had for over 20 years. As informed on March 31st, in which a similar application was presented to the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT), this business partnership seeks to offer more travel options and new destinations to passengers in both countries.Currently Delta and Aeromexico offer more than 4,000 weekly codeshare flights, representing more than 80 daily transborder round-trip flights.

April 2015

CityPass arrives in Dallas

Dallas, Texas, will soon join New York City, San Francisco, Chicago and more than half a dozen other powerhouse tourism destinations as an official CityPASS city. City Pass, the company that packages discounted prepaid admission to a city or region's top attractions will officially launch the brand-new Dallas CityPASS® ticket booklet on May 15. This will be the second CityPASS program in Texas, following Houston, which debuted in 2008.Each Dallas CityPASS booklet will save visitors 41 percent off combined admission to the Perot Museum of Nature and Science, Reunion Tower GeO-Deck, a choice between the Dallas Zoo and The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, and a choice between the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum and the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.The second option ticket allows visitors to choose between the George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum, where presidential documents, artifacts, the Decision Points Theater, and a full-scale replica of the Oval Office tell the story of America's 43rd president; and the Dallas Arboretum and Botanical Garden.

Dallas CityPASS booklets will cost $44 for adults and $30 for children, ages 3-12. Passes are valid for nine consecutive days, beginning with the first day of use. The CityPASS program is available in New York City, Atlanta, Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Houston, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Seattle, Southern California, Tampa Bay and Toronto.Source: CityPass

News from New Orleans

New Orleans will be the homeport for Viking River Cruises' first North American River Cruise of this company. The European cruise giant will begin cruising the Mississippi River from New Orleans in 2017 with six new American-made vessels.

American Cruise Lines is expanding its offering of river cruises from New Orleans with a second riverboat to be home-ported in New Orleans. The 150-passenger American Eagle embarked on its maiden voyage on April 11, 2015 and offering eight-day itineraries between New Orleans and Memphis.

Carnival Cruise Line will expand its cruising capacity in New Orleans, replacing the Carnival Triumph with the Carnival Elation in April 2016. The Carnival Triumph and the Carnival Dream are expected to carry a combined 450,000 guests from New Orleans annually, the most of any cruise line.

The newly renovated Desire Oyster Bar at the Royal Sonesta New Orleans Hotel has reopened weeks ago with a new menu crafted by Executive Chef Corey Jacobs. The restaurant will be open for breakfast, lunch and dinner.

DID YOU KNOW...That the city of New Orleans welcomed 9.52 million visitors in 2014 who spent a record-breaking $6.81 billion?This fact is according to a University of New Orleans Hospitality Research Center Study commissioned by the New Orleans Convention and Visitors Bureau and New Orleans Tourism Marketing Corporation (NOTMC). The spending is the highest in the city's history, more than doubling post-Katrina numbers from 2006!

Revista Vivir De Viaje con el fin de mejorar la navegación puede que utilice cookies de terceros con el fin de obtener datos estadísticos anónimos de las visitas a este sitio web. Navegar por nuestro sitio nos confirma su aceptación de la mismas. / Vivir De Viaje could make use of third parties cookies in order to enhance the navigation and to collect anonimous data from the visits to this site.